| Previous Organizing
Work
Since late 2002 we have focused our organizing work on
neighborhood quality of life issues. Like other neighborhood
organizations, we have been working to bring residents
together to voice our concerns and to develop strategies
to address problems. Here is a summary of our past work
and comments from residents on issues that are affecting
us now.
Community Building
in Allston Brighton: Dec. 2002 - May 2003
In December 2002 we began a discussion series about neighborhood
issues. We met approximately one Friday per month over
dinner until May 2003. The first meeting was an open forum
where people raised any and all concerns about the quality
of life in Allston Brighton. Other discussions included
housing, education, open space, and civic engagement.
See notes from these meetings:
December
2002: Open Forum
January
2003: Housing
March
2003: Education
April
2003: Open Space
May
2003: Civic Engagement
The Allston Brighton
Community Summit:
A Pathway toward Addressing Community Needs
In October 2003 we co-sponsored a community forum to
discuss issues facing the Allston Brighton community and
develop strategies to address them. These issues included
housing opportunities, the availability of high quality
educational options for children and adults, community
open spaces and parks, and the level of “civic engagement”
or community involvement. Co-sponsors for this forum included
the Allston Brighton Healthy Boston Coalition, the Brighton
Allston Improvement Association, and many other local
organizations. While many neighborhood groups have worked
on these issues, the community summit was a chance for
neighborhood residents and organizations to work together
to develop consensus and a power base to achieve solutions
that could be pursued as a community.
Seven topics were discussed at the summit:
Read a summary
of evaluations of the summit and a list of concerns
and solutions from participants and planners.
Allston Brighton
Community Summit: Moving Forward!
In March 2004 the Allston Brighton Healthy Boston Coalition
and the Allston Brighton CDC sponsored a follow-up meeting
to the October 2003 Community Summit. Approximately 100
residents attended this event, which was held in the Seton
Auditorium of Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center.
This event provided updates on the work of Action Groups
that had formed at the Community Summit and a set of proposals
from each group. Working in small groups, attendees discussed
the proposals and voted for those they thought were most
important and winnable -- though in many cases several
proposals were given top priority.
Read
the updates and proposals presented in March 2004.
Fostering Civic
Engagement and Building Community Groups
In May 2005, we held a daylong event at St. Luke's and
St. Margaret's Church in Allston that included updates
on local issues and a series of skills-building workshops
designed to inspire civic action and the creation of neighborhood
groups -- whether parks groups or other advocacy groups.
These workshops included:
- Starting Your Neighborhood Group
- Holding a Fundraising Event
- Getting Grants to Fund Your Group
- Publicity Outreach & Media Relations
- Government Relations & Local Politics
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